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Excerpt: Enoch and the Stars above by Rich Paz

NAME OF THE BOOK: Enoch and the Stars above

AUTHOR: Rich Paz

EXCERPT

“Hi Danica. Can you come back later? I'm sleeping!” Yawn! Yawn!“I’m not going anywhere, ” she responds. “I saw something… strange, in your house and I know I’m not crazy.”“I bet you didn’t see anything.”“Yes, I did. I saw a ghost, in your house.” Hahaha!“A ghost? That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. Now, I know you’re crazy.”“Very funny. Why didn’t you tell me your house was haunted?”“Because it’s not.”She barges right past me like a detective and I look up at the ceiling and he´s gone, again. Where´d he go?“Can you come back later, please?”I pretend to yawn, again.“I told you, I’m not going anywhere.” She’s so persistent.She looks at me as her eyes widen manga style. Wow, she´s got really big eyes. I never noticed how big they actually were until now. I can almost see the light bulb inside her brain and it´s shining brightly. It´s almost like a beacon. She looks startled and I know why. I’ve been busted. She saw the alien, I’m sure. Now, what am I gonna say? How am I gonna get out of this one?“Enoch, who's that, behind you?”I look back and he's seated in a lotus position. His skin is pale white and he is in midair. His eyes are closed. And I don't know what I’m gonna say.“Oh, that guy? He's…a friend.”I can tell by the look on her face that she doesn't believe me. I know her very well. She´s coming up with something in her mind, in her head. She´s come up with a conclusion. She knows he´s not my friend. She's an excellent analytical thinker. She knows I don’t have any friends.“Why is he levitating?”His feet touch the floor as his eyes remain closed.“You should be going now. I’ll call you later, I promise.”“Why do you want me out of here so badly? What are you trying to hide?”“I just wanna go back to…sleep.”The alien finally opens his eyes as they swell in emerald green. And then he disappears, vanishes into thin air.“Where'd he go?”“Who?”

“Your friend!”“I don't have any friends.”“I know he´s in here. I can smell him.”It´s a gift she has. She can smell anything from a mile away. She even claims to smell when a person is good or bad. She says there´s a distinct odor associated with wholeheartedness and malevolence. At least, that´s what she says.“I've got you.” She reaches out and grabs something. And then he magically appears again.“Who is that guy?” she says as she holds him by his bicep.I think I've run out of options. How do I explain what's just transpired? How do I explain invisibility, levitation, and the pulsating eyes? I can't. I know I can't.She begins to poke the alien. This isn’t Facebook and he’s not a farm animal. And I hate it when she gets like this. Only bad things can come from it.